March 2017

Sep 23, 2007

If you think of yourself as the last person who might attend a
conference about using the web, then ConvergeSouth is the conference
for you.

My newspaper column is about ConvergeSouth, for which you can register here.

Getting online by going offline

by Edward ConeNews & Record9-23-07

If you think of yourself as the last person who might attend a
conference about using the web, then ConvergeSouth is the conference
for you.

Yes,
it is a conference about using the web, but it's not a technology
conference, or an industry conference, or even a particularly geeky
conference. It's a conference about connecting offline to learn more
about connecting online. ConvergeSouth, scheduled for Oct. 19 and 20 on
the campus of N.C. A&T, is dedicated to discussing and exploring
things you can do on the Internet. The founding motto of the annual
conference, first held in 2005, was "Creativity on the web for all
people," and that still sums up the spirit of the thing.

Are you
a complete noob, but aware that the Internet is kind of a big deal and
you cannot ignore it forever? Are you a web expert who wants to teach,
listen, and interact in the physical world? Are you an academic, or a
student, or an entrepreneur? Are you curious about the future of
journalism and politics, or interested in writing, activism, social
networks or video? You need to be there.

ConvergeSouth is free
and open to the public. All you've got to do to attend is register
online and show up at A&T for all or part of the program. As usual,
a lot of smart folks from across the country and around the region will
be coming to share their wisdom on a range of topics. That includes the
session leaders — past visitors have included Wikipedia founder Jimmy
Wales, new-journalism guru Jay Rosen, and Elizabeth Edwards — but a lot
of the value comes from the people formerly known as the audience, who
participate actively in the conversations and workshops. In addition to
the daytime sessions, there will be music and informal gatherings in
downtown Greensboro, as well as the inaugural ConvergeSouth film
festival.

The
lack of formality and hierarchy at ConvergeSouth reflects the culture
of the web itself, and the nature of the conference. It's organized by
volunteers (including me) with the support of A&T, and funded by
foundations, individuals and the occasional sponsorship. ConvergeSouth
is a grass-roots effort that has made Greensboro a destination, however
briefly each fall, for a small but influential group of creative
people. It has thrived despite being ignored, year after year, by the
downtown organizations that talk about our need for a "creative
culture" and a "creative class." I guess those folks should come, too.

Seriously,
we're getting to the point where knowledge of the Net — or lack thereof
— has real consequences. In my profession, understanding the online
world is a matter of survival. This summer, to choose one example with
a local angle, Elon journalism professor Michael Skube wrote an article
for the Los Angeles Times that aimed to skewer blogs and reaffirm the
supremacy of traditional publications. Instead, his column became a
national punchline when bloggers quickly showed that he had not done
his homework in preparing it.

In politics, you already are
behind the curve if you don't have a web site. Online organizing,
fund-raising and communications may be the deciding factors in the
upcoming race for the White House.

Pretty soon, voters are
going to find it downright insulting if you don't reach out to them via
the Internet. The lack of a meaningful web presence will tell them you
don't want to share information, or engage with voters, or bother to
learn how to use the cheapest and most flexible way of communicating
your views.

This stuff is coming to every industry and
profession. Think social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are
for kids? Think again. Later this year, to choose another close-to-home
example, Wachovia Corp. will begin rolling out its own in-house social
network to 110,000 employees. Blogs and wikis, exotic just a few years
ago, are now mainstream in the business world. Entire sectors of the
economy are being remade, and the changes are only beginning. You can't
afford not to keep up.

Oh dear. I've made all of this sound like
eating spinach, when I really wanted to say that increasingly,
inexorably, it is becoming the way we live, work and play.
ConvergeSouth is serious, but in a fun and interesting kind of way. I
hope you'll come and find out for yourselves.